Specifications of certain buildings require a degree of airtightness for creating atmosphere-controlled environments. The level of airtightness is dictated by the designated commercial application, required tolerances, and certification level. Some examples of commercial uses for an airtight building include storage of fruit or vegetables, indoor cultivation (greenhouses), simulation of low or high altitude conditions, fire prevention, and pest control, among others.
Existing methods for constructing an airtight building generally involve two distinct construction phases. Phase one includes constructing a building structure in a traditional manner, and phase two includes modifying the conventional structure to achieve the desired level of airtightness specification. Modifications performed during the airtight phase may include installing specialized panels, drilling openings for air conditioning and various atmosphere control equipment, and sealing gaps with caulking compound and/or expanding/non-expanding foams.
Conventional airtight building methods have various disadvantages, including the costs and extended timeline incurred by having separate construction phases. In addition, airtightness may be prone to compromise due to normal expansion and/or contraction of the building materials and/or the building structure, such as through ground shift, wind, snow, or other natural forces. In some examples, gaps sealed with caulking compound may begin to re-split, fastener and pipe openings made through insulating panels can erode and leak, and/or insulating panels may become detached from the building structure and other components. Similarly, airtightness may be compromised when building walls sustain impact from equipment, for example, a forklift.